Tottenham Manager Igor Tudor Satisfied with Enhanced Squad Following Champions League Knockout

Tottenham under Tudor clinched a 3-2 win against Atletico in the second leg of the last-16 clash at their north London base on Wednesday, though it fell short for progression, resulting in a 7-5 aggregate defeat.

Following four initial losses under interim manager Tudor after the dismissal of Thomas Frank, Tottenham at last displayed vitality right when their campaign risked total embarrassment.

Positioned just one point clear of the Premier League drop zone, Tottenham drew 1-1 resiliently at Liverpool last Sunday, and their determined triumph over Atletico sparked a ray of optimism amid a dismal year.

"The sensations are mixed. You don't like to not get through but it was a very good performance. It was a beautiful sensation on the pitch with the fans who were really there together with the team from the first moment," Tudor commented.

"Congratulations to the players. It is positive, commitment, lot of running, lots of good things.

"The energy was really nice from the first moment. The players believed and you could see the performance at this moment is very important. In the last two games we have improved."

Tottenham's departure from Europe came as little shock after their poor 5-2 reverse in the opening leg in Madrid the previous week.

However, their showing versus Atletico marked their finest in recent months, arriving ideally before relegation foes Nottingham Forest visit for a vital encounter on Sunday.

Forest, sitting fourth from the bottom, trail Tottenham by one point, but Tudor maintains this outcome won't seal their fate.

"It is an important game on Sunday but it will not decide anything yet, it will be decided over the last three games," he noted.

"Today we had 11 players and on the bench (Lucas) Bergvall, (Destiny) Udogie and Conor (Gallagher), the doctors said they could only play 20 minutes.

"That makes the value of this performance even better. It was nice to take the victory and important for morale."

Atletico advance to face Spanish counterparts Barcelona in the quarter-finals after enduring a nail-biting night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Diego Simeone's team appeared uneasy in protecting their three-goal lead from the first leg and must elevate their game substantially to overcome La Liga frontrunners Barca, who demolished Newcastle 7-2 on Wednesday.

Atletico forward Julian Alvarez, scorer of his team's opener, admitted it was not their peak effort.

"We knew it wasn't going to be easy, but we had a few chances to win it as well. The important thing is that we're through to the quarters, we're among the best eight, so now it's time to enjoy that," he remarked.

"We knew we were coming in with a three-goal advantage, which let us stay a bit calmer, but we also knew it was going to be a tough match.

"We didn't end up winning but the important thing was we went through. We have to think about improving and keep focusing on what's coming."